LSU ECE and Louisiana Technical College
Partner to Prepare US Representation for WorldSkills Competition

12 August 2009

ECE has partnered with Louisiana Technical College (LTC) in
preparing Hayden LeJeune, right, for his quest to become a World
Champion in the 2009 WorldSkills Competition to be held Aug. 26 to
Sept. 7 in Calgary, Canada. This competition is widely viewed as the
pinnacle of excellence in skilled trades and technologies
training. This year, over 1000 competitors from 51 countries are
expected to participate in the various categories.

LeJeune, now an electrical engineering sophomore, is no stranger to
competition. A graduate of Port Barre High School, LeJeune earned gold
medals in Electronics Technology during both the Louisiana SkillsUSA
State Championships and the National SkillsUSA Championships at the
secondary level. LeJeune was later selected to represent the United
States on the National SkillsUSA WorldTeam.

“Everything has been progressing well with Hayden's training
so far,” said Joe Anding, Academic Chairman, Technology Services
II (LTC - Region 4). Currently, LeJeune is working with ECE instructor
Gabriel DeSouza on computer and robot-based exercises. With about four
weeks remaining until the competition, ECE and LTC will be working
diligently to ensure Hayden gets maximum exposure to the material and
hardware. “Overall, the collaboration has been a good
exercise,” said Dr. Jorge Aravena, ECE Interim Chairman.